scholarly journals Water Stress and Growth of Native and Introduced Shrub Species as Influenced by Irrigation Regime

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 999D-999
Author(s):  
Sloane M. Scheiber ◽  
Richard C. Beeson ◽  
Heather Bass

Native plants are often promoted as an approach for water conservation in urban landscapes. However, information regarding plant water needs is based primarily upon anecdotal observations of plant performance. Direct comparisons between native and introduced species using physiological measures of plant water stress are unavailable to support or refute such recommendations. Ligustrum japonicum and Myrica cerifera, representing an introduced and native species, respectively, were transplanted into a fine sand soil to evaluate establishment rates and growth characteristics under two irrigation regimes. Each species was irrigated either daily or every 3 days and received 1.3 cm of irrigation per event for 8 months after transplant. Predawn, midday, and dusk water potentials were recorded on three consecutive days monthly, with cumulative stress intervals calculated. Height, growth indices, shoot dry mass, root dry mass and leaf area were also recorded. Water potential was significantly influenced by day of water stress level. On days without irrigation, water stress was generally greater and affected growth. Myrica irrigated daily had the greatest growth, yet plants receiving irrigation every 3 days had the least growth and greater leaf drop. In contrast, for Ligustrum there were no differences between irrigation regimes in growth responses except for growth index.

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
Brian J. Pearson ◽  
Heather Bass ◽  
Sloane M. Scheiber ◽  
Richard C. Beeson

Native plants are often promoted for water conservation in urban landscapes. However, direct comparisons between native and introduced species utilizing physiological measures of plant water stress are unavailable to support or refute such recommendations. Ligustrum japonicum and Myrica cerifera, representing evergreen introduced and native species, respectively, were selected based on similar landscape function, non-stressed photosynthetic rates, and water use efficiencies. Both species were transplanted into a fine sand soil to evaluate establishment rates and growth characteristics under two irrigation regimes, irrigated either daily or every 3 d at 1.3 cm (0.5 in) of irrigation per event for the first 8 months after transplanting (MAT). Water potentials were recorded on two consecutive days each month, with cumulative stress intervals calculated. Water potential was significantly influenced by day of water stress level. On days without irrigation, water stress was generally greater and affected growth. Of the two species, Myrica irrigated daily had the greatest shoot growth, yet plants receiving irrigation every 3 d had the lowest root mass and biomass 8 MAT. In contrast, Ligustrum exhibited no differences in most parameters measured between irrigation regimes except for growth index. These contrasting differences stem from different strategies for coping with water stress.


1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-118
Author(s):  
Douglas F. Welsh ◽  
Jayne M. Zajicek

Abstract Plant growth and water use of container-grown Photinia × fraseri (Dress) were studied under varying irrigation regimes. Treatments were based on management allowed deficit (MAD) irrigation (including 0, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75 and 95% MAD), which links evapotranspiration (ET) and plant available moisture in determining irrigation schedules. Plant growth was maximized under 25% MAD irrigation. Plant performance and water use were significantly reduced as moisture deficit levels in the growing medium exceeded 50% under MAD irrigation of 50%, 75% and 95%. Plant performance also tended to decrease, but plant water use increased with lower MAD treatments (i.e., 0%, 5%, 10%). The research reported provides a model for nursery managers and researchers to use MAD irrigation in determining optimum irrigation regimes to meet plant water needs and maintain maximum plant performance.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhuanito Soranz Ferrarezi ◽  
Marc W. Van Iersel ◽  
Roberto Testezlaf

The objectives of this work were to evaluate the effects of distinct moisture contents to trigger subirrigation on salvia photosynthesis and plant growth, and to verify the feasibility of subirrigation use in water stress imposition research in this crop. We evaluated two substrate volumetric water contents (VWC) as treatments (0.2 and 0.4 m3 m-3) to trigger subirrigation, with 4 replications. Each replication was composed of 10 plants. An automated semi-continuous multi-chamber crop CO2-exchange system was used, with capacitance soil moisture sensors for continuous moisture monitoring. Manual subirrigation with nutrient solution was performed when VWC dropped below the thresholds. In both treatments, the values of net photosynthesis, daily carbon gain and carbon use efficiency reduced over time, from 2 to 1.1 μmol s-1 from 2.2 to 1 μmol d-1 from 0.7 to 0.45 mol mol-1, respectively, in both soil moisture treatments. Total shoot dry mass (p=0.0129), shoot height in the tip of the highest flower (p<0.0001) and total leaf area (p=0.0007) were statistically higher at 0.4 m3 m-3 treatment. The subirrigation system was not efficient to impose water stress, due to excessive variation on VWC values after each irrigation event in both treatments. Higher soil moisture promoted positive plant growth responses in salvia cultivated by subirrigation.


HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1295-1297 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.C. Beeson

Photinia plants produced in 11.4-liter polyethylene containers using a pine bark-based medium were transplanted into a well-drained sand and irrigated on alternate days. Polyethylene barriers were placed under half the root balls at transplanting to limit gravitational water loss. Plant water potential was measured diurnally between irrigations, and root growth was determined at 4-month intervals. Plants with barriers averaged higher cumulative daily water stress than control plants over the year, although predawn and minimum water potentials were similar. Growth index and trunk diameter were similar for the plants over barriers and controls, but the former were taller after 1 year. Plants with barriers had twice the horizontal root growth into the landscape site as control plants, resulting in twice the root mass in the landscape after 1 year.


Author(s):  
Esther Abosede Ewetola ◽  
Temitayo Funmi Fasanmi

Water stress is one of the abiotic stress factors that affect establishment, growth and yield of crop. Therefore, a screen house study was carried out to determine the effect of water stress on growth and yield of Okra and Jute mallow. 7 litre capacity each bucket was filled with 10 kg of soil and arranged in a completely randomized design with three replicates. There were four irrigation regimes based on field capacity; 100% FC (control), 75% FC, 50% FC, and 25% FC Seeds from local source were sown at the rate of three seeds per pot and later thinned to two seedlings per pot two weeks after sowing (WAS). Data on growth parameters; plant height, stem girth and number of leaves were collected at two week interval up to 10 WAS while total fruit yield and biomass yield, for okra and jute mallow respectively, were determined at harvest . Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means were separated using least significant difference at p<0.05. Okra growth and fruit yield were significantly (p<0.05) affected by field capacities; 75% FC produced significantly (p<0.05) tallest plant at 10 WAS (25.3 cm) while 25% FC gave shortest plant height (13.9 cm). Number of leaves at 10 WAS followed similar trend as plant height. Irrigation regimes did not significantly (p<0.05) affect fruit yield however, 75% FC recorded highest fruit yield than other field capacities. At 10 WAS, jute mallow plant height under 100, 75 and 50% FC were significantly (p<0.05) tallest height than at 25% FC. Stem girth followed the same trend as plant height. However, at 10 WAS, 75% FC produced significantly (p<0.05) higher number of leaves and biomass yield than other treatments. It could be concluded from the study that 75 % FC was best for growth, fruit yield and biomass yield of okra and jute mallow production.


HortScience ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 790-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Steinke ◽  
David R. Chalmers ◽  
Richard H. White ◽  
Charles H. Fontanier ◽  
James C. Thomas ◽  
...  

As a result of increasing demand for potable water, local and national initiatives to conserve municipal water supplies have been implemented. Many of these initiatives focus on reducing irrigation of turfgrass in urban landscapes and may totally ban irrigation during periods of severe water shortage. Proper selection of adapted turfgrass species and cultivars is vital to long-term water conservation initiatives. Turfgrasses that can survive and recover from extended hot and dry periods under limited to no irrigation would best meet water conservation objectives. The present study was conducted to evaluate the recuperative potential of transplanted plugs of 24 commonly grown cultivars of three warm-season turfgrass species after incremental increases in water stress imposed by withholding all water for up to 60 days. A 2-year field study was conducted consisting of eight blocks containing 25 plots each. Each block was planted with one plot each of eight cultivars of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon sp.), seven cultivars of st. augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum sp.), and nine cultivars of zoysiagrass (five of Zoysia japonica sp. and four of Zoysia matrella sp.). Four blocks were planted on native soil with no restriction to rooting, whereas the other four had an effective root zone of only 10 cm of soil. Cup cutter plugs were collected at predetermined intervals, transported to College Station, TX, replanted, and grown under well-watered conditions. Measurements of the lateral spread of the plugs were taken every 10 to 14 days for the first 60 to 70 days after planting (DAP). The lateral spread of plugs collected after 0 days of summer dry-down (DSD) was greatest for bermudagrass, intermediate for st. augustinegrass, and lowest for zoysiagrass. In most cases there were no consistent differences between cultivars within a species. All species grown on the 10-cm deep root zone were unable to survive the 60-day period without water and died within the first 40 days. For each species, lateral spread was increasingly delayed or reduced with increasing DSD. Although all three species grown on native soil were able to survive and recover from a 60-day period without water, the bermudagrass cultivars had the most rapid recovery rates measured as lateral spread of transplanted plugs.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 849
Author(s):  
Cecilio F. Caldeira ◽  
Madson O. Lima ◽  
Silvio J. Ramos ◽  
Markus Gastauer

Native species may have adaptive traits that are advantageous for overcoming the adverse environmental conditions faced during the early stages of mine land rehabilitation. Here, we examined the nitrogen (N) growth responses of two native perennial grasses (Axonopus longispicus and Paspalum cinerascens) from canga in nutrient-poor iron mining substrates. We carried out vegetative propagation and recovered substantial healthy tillers from field-collected tussocks of both species. These tillers were cultivated in mining substrates at increasing N levels. The tillering rates of both species increased with the N application. Nonetheless, only in P. cinerascens did the N application result in significant biomass increase. Such growth gain was a result of changes in leaf pigment, stomatal morphology, gas exchanges, and nutrients absorption that occurred mainly under the low N additions. Reaching optimum growth at 80 mg N dm−3, these plants showed no differences from those in the field. Our study demonstrates that an input of N as fertilizer can differentially improve the growth of native grasses and that P. cinerascens plants are able to deposit high quantities of carbon and protect soil over the seasons, thus, making them promising candidates for restoring nutrient cycling, accelerating the return of other species and ecosystem services.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Palazzari ◽  
Paolo Mezzanotte ◽  
Federico Alimenti ◽  
Francesco Fratini ◽  
Giulia Orecchini ◽  
...  

This paper describes the design, realization, and application of a custom temperature sensor devoted to the monitoring of the temperature differential between the leaf and the air. This difference is strictly related to the plant water stress and can be used as an input information for an intelligent and flexible irrigation system. A wireless temperature sensor network can be thought as a decision support system used to start irrigation when effectively needed by the cultivation, thus saving water, pump fuel oil, and preventing plant illness caused by over-watering.


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